Sunday, March 14, 2010

Glenn Beck defies Mormon Authorities

For a while, we have asked: Where will he overreach? After his "social justice" remarks offended millions of Christians, including notable Christian leaders, as well as many of his fellow Mormons, I began to wonder what would happen when Beck stepped over the lines he has himself drawn in his own spiritual life. Now it appears that Brother Beck is issuing orders to his listeners that are in direct contradiction to the pronouncements of LDS General Authorities and the First Presidency.

Beck is telling his listeners not to answer certain Census questions: "Today they are asking the race question to try to increase slavery. Your dependence on the master in Washington. No way, don’t answer that question." Speaking for himself, Beck says he would rather pay a fine than answer Census questions.

The Census Bureau will soon deliver census questionnaires to every household in America. We urge all members to respond to them in an accurate and timely manner. It is an important obligation for all citizens to be counted in the census.

When Beck took a dump on mainstream Christianity with his "social justice" remarks, it was still possible for him to differentiate (in a way most churches view as arbitrary and obsessively anti-government) between "private" and "public" service to others. Granted, it wasn't a distinction he originally made (he originally told us to leave any church that had the phrase "social justice" on its web site, even though this includes his own church), but it allowed him to equivocate and weasel out of his original sweeping pronouncement.

But the Census thing is different. His church leaders say answer the Census. Beck says don't. So how long before conservative Mormons call Beck to repentance? Or even stop watching and listening to his swill?

4 comments:

Glenn Beck has become a liability to the church, even though he is just a simple member. The letter indicates this alone. He has millions of mormon listeners who see him as an authority, when he is anything but. But because of this influence they now have to make these kinds of statements. Hopefully he will rephrase his rhetoric as a result and admit he was wrong. Okay, so that won';t happen. He'll find some way to make an excuse.

The First Presidency urged members to participate in the 2010 United States Census. They said that it is important to be "COUNTED," not that you need to answer EVERY question. So, I can follow their exact words by answering accurately and in a timely manner that there are 4 people who live in my home. This gives the government what they need to determine the makeup of state legislatures, local school boards, and other government bodies and to determine how many seats each state will have in the U.S. House of Representatives. The government is not required nor do they need to collect anything more. CASE CLOSED.

Writing "CASE CLOSED" in all caps does not close the case. Do your general authorities want you to follow the spirit of their recommendation, or the letter? Do they suggest anywhere that you not engage, disengage, refuse to participate in a conversation with your government? Why don't you write and ask them? It's not that I don't want you to follow the dictates of your own conscience, but since Beck deploys religion to advance political arguments, he's fair game for speaking against the grain of his church. At certain periodic cycles in Mormondom, right-wing conservatives have been excommunicated for their resurrection of Skousenesque Millenialism. Do you suppose Beck's been contacted by his Bishop for periodically expressing his desire to kill people? Holding him accountable for his public sins is playing in his court; he made the rules here.